King's Furniture, First Financial Bank named ODM Businesses of the Year, Brad Doll named Citizen of the Year

Kevin Ryden

Two Olney businesses and one Olney resident were recognized Monday for their achievements and dedication to the community during Olney Chamber of Commerce's annual banquet at Olde Tyme Steakhaus.

King's Furniture received the Olney Daily Mail Small Business of the Year Award and First Financial Bank received the Olney Daily Mail Large Business of the Year Award.

Brad Doll was the recipient of the WVLN-WSEI 2012 Citizen of the Year Award.

Olney Daily Mail Editor Mark Allen said King's Furniture has "been a fixture downtown for decades" and is close to celebrating its centennial.

"It has remained a family affair rooted in community service and has provided both countless local families with the comforts of home," he said.

Mike King said the business is built on tradition and has "very good employees and that's what it's all about."

"We don't deserve this any more than a lot of you who put in the same amount of hours and hard work that make a small business successful," he said.

Allen said First Financial Bank has gone through many changes through the years since its founding in 1883 when it was called Olney Loan & Building Association.

First Financial Bank Vice President Regional Manager Diane Buss said the bank is celebrating its 130th anniversary today.

She said the bank is proud to be part of the community and has dedicated staff. "Even though our name's changed a couple of times, the people that are working in the bank have remained the same and serve our community each and every day."

WVLN-WSEI General Manager Mike Shipman began his speech by saying that Doll could be described as someone who serves the community and places the needs of others above his own.

Doll has been involved in Rotary, Richland Memorial Hospital's board, Knights of Columbus and the Chamber. He has also served as a coach for youth basketball and Olney Little League.

Shipman said Doll's recent leadership and dedication to the Musgrove Park Baseball Complex is where he "stepped up to the plate."

"This person could be seen working on the fields and infrastructure faithfully to meet what seemed like an impossible goal of completion before the season began in 2012," Shipman said before announcing Doll as the recipient of the award.

Shipman said there were many others who were vital to the project and volunteered their time, equipment and money.

"It takes a community joining together to take a vision and make it materialize," he said. "But the Musgrove Park Baseball Complex project needed a leader, too, and this person was dedicated and committed to see this vision through to the end."

The goal was met and Shipman said the complex that is enjoyed by children and adults "will be a definite asset to our community for years to come."

He then added a pun before introducing Doll, of Doll's, Inc.: "The facts for this nomination have been checked and are 'concrete.'"

Doll said he loves baseball and loves to build things, "So, this was kind of a match made in heaven right from the get-go."

He said the project could not have been done without volunteers and donations.

"It was really impressive to me to show up on a cold Saturday morning out there and have six or seven other guys waiting on us and be amazed on the amount of work you could get done in a day where people, they showed up, because they wanted to do something, not because they had to be there. And it made me proud to be part of this community that we could do something like that."

He realized the importance of the project last year when he was at the complex with 1,000 other people and someone approached him and said that Alvin and Wenonah Musgrove, who had donated the property for the benefit of the county's youth, would have been proud of how the property was being used.

"And that's what really hit home to me," Doll said. "I was really proud to be a part of this."